


drink up your movements (still i can't get enough)

by allisonattheorpheum



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alex is a ghost, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, better safe than sorry am i right, teen because there is like an allusion to things more than kissing, willie is a human
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:22:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28818483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allisonattheorpheum/pseuds/allisonattheorpheum
Summary: alex had found out that someone other than julie could see him when he had been walking down a hollywood sidewalk. he’d gotten distracted by the performers, the impersonators, and had stopped in the middle of the flow of foot traffic, knowing that anyone who needed to get by would simply pass right through him.anyone, it had turned out, except for willie. "hey, watch out!" he had yelled, right before crashing into alex, skateboard disappearing over the curb, knocking them both to the ground.(or willie is alive but, if luke can date a lifer, then why can't alex?)
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 128





	drink up your movements (still i can't get enough)

**Author's Note:**

> title and inspiration from "the louvre" by lorde (aka the ultimate willex song).

early morning rays of summer sun danced across willie’s back as alex watched him sleep, the hum of the fan next to them the only sound in the room. any minute now, the alarm would go off and willie would lazily reach over and stop it, turn towards alex and smile. alex had been spending the night at willie’s for almost a week now and every morning was a thing of beauty, the way willie’s shoulder blades moved under his skin when he shifted in his sleep, the way his hair rested on his face, floating upwards with every quiet exhale.

6:59 turned to 7:00 and the alarm sang out. willie groaned, sighed, pulled his arm out from where it rested under his chest and hit the _off_ button. “still here, hot dog?” he asked, rolling over onto his back and opening his eyes the tiniest bit. alex hated the reminder of how he died, but he had to admit the nickname was growing on him. 

“no where else i’d rather be,” alex said. he danced his fingers along willie’s collarbone, traced his jaw. “i slept great, thanks for asking.”

willie laughed, the sound laced with sleep. he laid his hand over alex’s, stopping the movement of his fingers. “we’re going to have to talk about this eventually, you know,” he said.

alex cleared his throat. “about what?” he knew well enough what willie had meant.

“come on, alex, about _this_ ,” willie said, using his other hand to gesture between the two of them. “one of these mornings you might not be here.”

alex exhaled slowly, heavily. “you don’t know that,” he said. “you’re able to see me and touch me and i have no explanation for that, but you can. you and julie, there’s something special about you guys. it’s like you ground us here.”

he stretched his legs out and shifted down on the bed, rested his head on willie’s chest. “i can’t promise anything, willie,” he said. “but i feel more alive than i ever did when i’m with you.”

willie pressed a kiss into alex’s hair, ran his fingers through it a few times. “and i care about you,” he said. “that’s what we have for now, right?”

alex smiled. “and 'for now' is all we have,” he said. “get up... another day of hell awaits.”

*

alex had found out that someone other than julie could see him when he had been walking down a hollywood sidewalk. he’d gotten distracted by the performers, the impersonators, and had stopped in the middle of the flow of foot traffic, knowing that anyone who needed to get by would simply pass right through him. 

anyone, it had turned out, except for willie. "hey, watch out!" he had yelled, right before crashing into alex, skateboard disappearing over the curb, knocking them both to the ground. 

at first, alex hadn't realized, but as willie had groaned and stood up, checking his body for injuries, the light bulb had clicked on. 

"you can see me?" he had asked. 

willie's face had been twisted into confusion. "uh, yeah, dude. why wou -- "

alex had gotten up and ran before he'd heard the rest of willie's words. 

a couple of days later, alex had been pacing on the beach. it had been the day of the band’s first real gig and saying that alex had been _nervous_ was an understatement. 

there had been a ramp set up a little ways away and alex had walked over to it, watching the skaters and their back-and-forth movements, so precise and choreographed so they wouldn't run into each other, like a dance. he hadn't realized one of the skaters was willie until he'd taken a break to get some water. his eyes had taken in the crowd that had gathered to watch, had lingered on alex. 

alex had wanted to run when he saw willie coming towards him. he’d hesitated, started to turn around, but willie reached him too quickly.

"hey, dude! good to see you're okay after i pancaked you," willie had said. he'd put out his fist for alex to bump with his own and, when he returned the gesture, the reality of the situation had presented itself again. willie's knuckles had been rough, warm, _real_ again alex's.

"i'm willie.”

“um, alex… and i’m really _just_ the guy you ran into,” alex had said. “you definitely didn’t have to come over here and make a big deal about it.”

willie had taken his helmet off, long hair falling past his shoulders. he’d tucked some of it behind his ears. “not just a guy,” he’d said. “you’re cute, and i’d be lying if i said i wasn’t interested in why you took off so fast.”

alex’s heart had skipped a beat. he’d stammered, felt his blood rush to his cheeks. “it's complicated."

willie had looked at him, and alex couldn't ignore his expression, so sincere, truthful. "hit me."

for a moment, alex had considered lying, had thought about just poofing out and forgetting about willie. but he couldn't have ignored the way butterflies had started to fly in his stomach, the way willie's lips had been upturned and inviting. 

"you shouldn't have been able to see me," he had admitted. "you should've just skated right through me, because… " he had taken a deep breath. "because im a ghost."

willie's eyes had shot open in surprise. "you -- you're a ghost? good one, dude." his voice had been dripping with skepticism. 

alex had shaken his head, wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to keep from combusting from anxiety. "i'm serious. i'll show you," he had said. 

he'd turned to the rest of the crowd, had stood right next to them and yelled, "someone's drowning!" there had been, of course, no reaction. he'd looked back at willie, making sure he was still there. 

"see? they can't hear me." 

for good measure, he had ran his fingers through a girl's hair, had walked right through a guy busy on his phone. 

"can't see me or feel me, either," he'd said. "i'm a ghost." 

willie had looked confused, maybe a little scared, but alex hadn't missed the sparkle of excitement in his eye. 

“so, if you're a ghost... people think i’m talking to myself right now?”

alex had nodded, grinned. willie had looked around, watched the groups of people passing them by, all completely unaware of alex's presence. he'd smiled, wide and bright, a sight that alex didn't yet know would become one of his favorite things. 

"then let's get out of here."

*

hell, as defined by willie, was a high school in hollywood. one class was standing between him and his diploma so, instead of skating all day with nothing else to worry about, he had begrudgingly signed up for summer school. most days, alex kept him company. he’d poof into the classroom, air thick with heat, and sit on the desk next to willie. sometimes, he would spread out across the teacher’s desk, pose like someone was painting him, wiggle his eyebrows at willie in an attempt to make him laugh.

as willie got ready, alex picked through a couple of his shirts and sweaters that had collected on willie’s floor. he didn’t sleep, didn’t need to change into pajamas, but ghosts could do other things that lead to bare skin and touches that feel like electricity on it. 

“do you have practice today?” willie asked, pulling a shirt over his head, his hair full of static.

“yeah, later,” alex said. “i can hang out with you for a while.”

willie laughed and walked over to alex. he stood on his toes, just enough to reach alex’s lips with his own, and kissed him. alex’s heart took off running.

“i don’t want to be the reason you get kicked out of the band,” wille whispered, kissed him again.

alex threaded his fingers through willie’s hair. “you keep doing that and _you’re_ going to be the one getting kicked out,” he said. “come on, you’re gonna be late.”

alex usually waited until willie got to class before he poofed in next to him, but today, he decided to get there first. the classroom was empty and eerily quiet, the lights turned off. alex sat at willie’s usual desk and pulled a pen out of his fanny pack. he wrote _a + w_ on the surface, going over the letters again and again, darkening the ink.

as the teacher and the other students started to trickle in, alex got comfortable in the spot next to willie’s, leaning back in the chair and resting his feet on top of the desk. willie was one of the last to arrive and, as his eyes found alex, he couldn’t hold back his smile. “what’s got you so happy?” alex asked, voice loud enough to reach willie across the room. 

willie said hi to a few of his classmates before settling in at his desk. “looks like someone left you a message,” alex said, reaching out and tapping his graffiti. willie read it, traced his fingers over the dried ink, and alex saw the smile hidden under the hair that hung in front of his face. “by the way, number three on your pop quiz is a trick question.”

later, alex poofed out and waited for willie at a picnic table in the school’s courtyard. it seemed like ages before he heard his skateboard against the sidewalk. willie’s arms wrapped around alex’s shoulders from behind. “aced the quiz,” he said. his voice was velvet against alex’s ear. “thanks to you, that is.” he walked around the table and sat across from alex.

he pulled a key out of his bag and started scraping it across the wood. alex watched as he worked and he thought the little wrinkle of concentration between willie’s eyebrows was one of the cutest things he had ever seen. soon enough, _w + a_ was engraved into the table. willie blew the shavings out of the design. “there,” he said. “a piece of us in nature.”

“i’m not sure a picnic table counts as nature, dude,” alex said, laughing.

willie scoffed, pouted in fake disappointment. “if you’re just going to insult my work, you can go.”

“okay, okay,” alex said. “us in nature, i love it. but you’re right, i better get going. don’t miss me too much.”

willie rolled his eyes. “how will i ever survive a few hours without you?” his voice was sticky with sarcasm, but he smiled, his eyes sparkling. “have fun.” he leaned across the table and kissed alex. his breath was minty.

alex knew that music, that _julie_ , had brought him out of the dark room but, with every kiss or conversation, he thought that willie might be the one who he was always destined to find. 

*

“dude!” luke exclaimed, as soon as alex poofed into the studio. “where have you been?”

alex looked around; julie and reggie were staring at him, heads tilted in stern expressions. “i was with willie,” he said. “i told you i would be.”

julie sighed, standing up from her keyboard and walking towards where alex lingered by the doors. “we know, alex,” she said. “but you said you’d be at practice. this is the fourth time you’ve been late!” she looked at the time on her phone. “ _really_ late.”

“i know, and i’m sorry,” he said. he walked over to his drums. “i just… ”

“hey, i get it.” luke’s voice was soft. “he can _see_ you, alex, and that’s crazy. i know how weird and exciting that is. trust me.” alex follows his gaze to julie, her head down, focused on her phone. alex had been jealous of them, before he met willie. 

“yeah, man,” reggie said. “we can tell how happy you’ve been lately. but you know what you said when you started hanging out with him.”

alex nodded, picked up his drumsticks. “the band comes first.”

julie returned to her keyboard, played a few notes of the song they were rehearsing. she smiled at alex. “you could always bring willie here. we’d love to meet him... not that i don’t _really_ value our time together scrolling through his instagram.” she laughed, pulled her hair back into a bun. “okay, let’s do this. from the top?”

alex worked his way through the song on autopilot. willie had mentioned it too, coming to a practice, and alex had shrugged it off. he wasn’t against the idea completely, not really, but he couldn’t help but think that willie meeting the others would change things somehow, make it less magical. he tried hard enough to push the whole ghost thing to the back of his mind, and the possibility of willie meeting luke and reggie did nothing to make that easier. 

like he’d told willie that morning, _now_ was the only thing they could count on, so why complicate things?

*

at six the next morning, alex poofed into willie’s room, only to find it empty. he knew he had been letting the band down lately, so, after practice, he’d suggested a movie night, had helped julie bake cookies. he’d asked her to send willie an instagram message, had said he would miss him but he’d be there when he woke up.

a note sat on willie’s pillow, the handwriting almost as bad as luke’s.

_alex. meet me where you told me the truth._

the beach, then. alex went to poof out, but his eyes caught on the note again. it seemed serious, formal, no smiley face or heart. the dark periods stood out like warning signs. alex’s inhale stuck in his throat; had willie decided that he didn’t want to do this anymore? 

he looked at the foot of the bed, where his clothes had been carefully folded and stacked. if that wasn’t a sign of something bad, he didn’t know what was. his mind raced, thought after thought tumbling over each other like blind kittens. had he done something wrong? had he said something to change willie’s mind?

luke’s voice echoed in alex’s mind. _bro, stop thinking too hard. you’re making_ me _tired._ he laughed to himself, shook his head like the motion would make any negative ideas fall away, crumble into dust.

“don’t freak out, alex,” he said in the darkness. before he could talk himself out of it, he closed his eyes and thought of the ocean.

when alex’s vision refocused, he saw willie sitting by himself in the sand, staring out towards the water. he walked to him, put his hand on willie’s shoulder as he sat down next to him. “morning, sunshine,” alex said.

willie grinned. “it’s still dark out,” he said, resting his head on alex’s shoulder. “you should’ve said _morning, moon_.”

alex laughed and wrapped his arm around willie. “so,” he said. “why’d you summon me here with such a serious note?”

“serious?” willie’s voice was colored with amusement. “it was just a note, and i wanted you to watch the sun come up with me.”

“i think we’re facing the wrong direction for that,” alex said. “you didn’t fold up all of my clothes because you never want to see me again?”

willie’s laugh cut through the early morning calm like the sharpest knife. he lifted his head and looked at alex, stared at him for a few seconds.

“i folded your clothes because mom was getting on my case about my room being dirty,” he said.

alex’s eyes widened with understanding and embarrassment. “yeah, totally,” he said. he trailed his fingers up willie’s side like feathers, trying to find the spot that would make him laugh. “i definitely didn’t jump to any conclusions there.”

willie settled back in against alex’s side. “sure, hot dog. now be quiet and wait for the sun.”

a little later, as the orange-yellow glow of morning creeped up behind them, willie pulled his phone out of his pocket. “do you show up in pictures?” he asked. then, before alex could answer, he said, “put that on a list of things i never thought i’d say to my boyfriend.”

alex’s lips turned up on their own. “your boyfriend, huh?”

“you watch me sleep every night, alex, you’re either my boyfriend or my pet fish.”

they both laughed and alex wished he could bottle up the sound and keep it with him forever.

“to answer your question, i show up on youtube, don’t i?”

willie opened the camera and held his phone out in front of him. they didn’t smile, at least not the fake ones they’d put on for school picture day, just looked into the lens like it’d give them the answers they were always searching for. 

after he pressed the shutter, willie turned the screen to alex and showed him the picture, the two of them backdropped by the rising sun. alex smiled, pulled willie closer to him, pressed a kiss to his forehead. “you know, with you on your way to skateboarding fame and the band about to take off… ” he trailed off. “no matter how this ends, we’ll always be a pretty cool love story, right? a ghost and a lifer. that picture could be in a museum someday.”

“a museum?” willie asked. “what, like the louvre or something?” his fingers danced across alex’s knee.

“yeah, probably way in the back where people never go or, like, by the bathrooms or something but, hey, it still counts.”

willie laughed, tilted his head up, locked eyes with alex. “you do know you said _love_ story right?”

“well, i mean, not _love_ like… you know, i just meant… ” 

willie sat up, turned, took both of alex’s hands in his own. “i know what you meant, alex.” he leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. “even if we don’t end up in a museum,” he said, voice quiet in the small space between them. “i’ll never forget how lucky i was to be in a love story with you.”

alex didn’t know how _this_ , how the two of them, would end. he didn’t know if one day he would be nothing but a fading memory to willie, a story to tell to see if anyone believed it. but on the beach in the early morning light of california, with sand and salt in his hair, alex knew that he would move mountains if it meant sticking around. for willie, he thought, he would do anything.

\--


End file.
